Fred "Cappy" Capossela (1902–April 3, 1991) was an American thoroughbred race track announcer.

Early life and career

Capossela was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in 1902. He got his start in thoroughbred racing in 1926 as a writer for the ''

New York Evening Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established i ...

''. He also covered the sport for the ''

Brooklyn Eagle :''This article covers both the historical newspaper (1841–1955, 1960–1963), as well as an unrelated new Brooklyn Daily Eagle starting 1996 published currently'' The ''Brooklyn Eagle'' (originally joint name ''The Brooklyn Eagle'' and ''King ...

''. In 1934, Capossela called his first race at

Tropical Park Tropical Park is a urban park in metropolitan Miami, Florida. The park is located just southwest of the intersection of the Palmetto Expressway (SR 826) and Bird Road, just west of South Miami. History The land opened as a county public par ...

, where he filled in for the regular announcer for two weeks.

Announcing

In 1940, Capossela became assistant track announcer for New York's four thoroughbred race tracks,

Aqueduct Racetrack Aqueduct Racetrack is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and casino in the South Ozone Park, Queens, South Ozone Park and Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhoods of Queens, New York City, United States. Aqueduct is the only racetrack locate ...

Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...

Saratoga Race Course Saratoga Race Course is a Thoroughbred horse racing track located on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, New York, United States. Opened in 1863, it is often considered to be the oldest major sporting venue of any kind in the country, but is actua ...

, and

Jamaica Race Course Jamaica Race Course, also called the Jamaica Racetrack, was an American thoroughbred horse racing facility operated by the Metropolitan Jockey Club in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. History The track opened on April 27, 1903, a day which featu ...

. Three years later he was promoted to lead announcer. He also called races at Florida's

Hialeah Park Race Track The Hialeah Park Race Track (also known as the Hialeah Race Track or Hialeah Park) is a historic racetrack in Hialeah, Florida. Its site covers 40 square blocks of central-east side Hialeah from Palm Avenue east to East 4th Avenue, and from East 2 ...

. From 1950 to 1960, Capossela was the "Voice of the Triple Crown" on CBS Radio and Television. He also called televised races on

WNEW-TV WNYW (channel 5) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the Fox network. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside Secaucus, New Jersey–licensed MyNetworkTV flagship ...

's ''Schaefer Circle of Sports''. Capossela was known for his high-pitched nasal voice, his distinctive style in saying "It is now post time", and his accurate calls.

Late life and death

Capossela retired in 1971. After his retirement, he regularly attended weekend races at Hialeah and later at tracks in Southern California. Capossela died on April 3, 1991 at his home in

Upland, California Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States on the border with neighboring Los Angeles County. The municipality is located at an elevation of 1,242 feet (379 m). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 79,040 ...

following a stroke. In 1993, the Swift Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack was renamed the

Fred "Cappy" Capossela Stakes The Fred "Cappy" Capossela Stakes was an American Thoroughbred horse race. The event was held each February since 1885 at Aqueduct Racetrack, this race was originally called the Swift Stakes (where it was originally held at Sheepshead Bay Race Trac ...

in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Capossela, Fred 1902 births 1991 deaths American horse racing announcers New York Post people People from Brooklyn People from Upland, California